News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Saturday March 8th 2025
P.T. Barnum Circus”' elephants, tigers, tents, and Tom Thumb, amidst urban, pioneer, frugal splendor “paints” image of the Layman Family and their Cedar Avenue homestead
The exquisite, yet frugal, homestead of Martin and Elizabeth Layman”'s home on Cedar Avenue including sideyard and barn that hosted P.T. Barnum Circus tents, animals, and Tom Thumb on visits to Mpls.
by Sue Hunter Weir
When Martin and Elizabeth Layman arrived in Minnesota in 1852-53, they set up housekeeping in a log cabin. It was a tight fit. They had ten children at the time and three more after they arrived. In 1857, Martin Layman built what is believed to be the sixth permanent house in what later became Minneapolis.
There is no question that the Laymans worked hard, and they certainly prospered. In addition to owning the cemetery, they had a large farm where they grew fruit and vegetables. They sold their surplus food as well as wheat and oats that they grew. They sold the hay that they mowed and gathered in the cemetery. The sons hired out to work on other farms during the harvest season. They raised their own farm animals and sheared sheep for their neighbors. If there was work to be done, the Laymans could be counted on to do it.
In 1876, the Martin and Elizabeth Layman built their dream house directly across the street from the cemetery”'s gates near what is now the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Lake Street.… Read the rest “P.T. Barnum Circus”' elephants, tigers, tents, and Tom Thumb, amidst urban, pioneer, frugal splendor “paints” image of the Layman Family and their Cedar Avenue homestead”
Food Obsession: AS THE PUMPKIN TURNS
by Jane Thomson
As I remember the story, if Cinderella doesn”'t leave the ball and get into her elegant coach by midnight it turns into a pumpkin. In these recipes, the pumpkin, perhaps your jack-o”'-lantern, turns into food. Both recipes are originally from the S”'Trib.)
The first recipe could be a second use of your Halloween pumpkin, if it is clean, still fresh, cleaned of candle wax, and does not have very large openings cut for facial features.
BAKED BEEF STUFFED PUMPKIN
One 5 to 6 lb. pumpkin or three 2-3 lb. pumpkins 2tsp. dried sage
2 tsp. salt, divided
1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. pepper (I used more)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. cooked rice
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup of raisins
1 lb. ground beef
½ cup of pine nuts
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Cut the top off pumpkin and remove seeds and strings. Prick cavity with a fork and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt. Heat a large pot or skillet.
Add oil. When hot, add garlic and onion and sauté until onion is translucent.
Add beef and continue sautéing until browned. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.… Read the rest “Food Obsession: AS THE PUMPKIN TURNS”
“Lutecorn,” “lutecream,” and “lutefish””¦ The Myth of the Lye-processed Cod fish is exposed bathed in butter
by Carsten Smith
It is Lutefisk Tasting Day at Ingebretsen”'s Scandinavian Gifts. Customers who come in for Swedish meatballs and bakery products cautiously accept a sample from Diane Noble, an Ingebretsen”'s employee in a traditional Swedish costume. They take a sample in a small paper cup and stab the white fish in butter with a toothpick. Gingerly nibbling, they gradually realize that they are not dealing with a biohazard or toxic substance. “That”'s not bad. What is all the fuss about?” is the usual response. Some customers decide to buy some lutefisk and take it home. Others are content to know what the food that is often the butt of jokes really tastes like.
Lutefisk means “fish in lye” and for generations of families in the Scandinavia, it was a steady supply of protein during the long winter months. In the United States, it is a Christmas tradition for many Scandinavian-Americans. But since the lutefisk tasting at Ingebretsen”'s didn”'t result in people running screaming from the store, why all the jokes and reputation so bad that Andrew Zimmern filmed an episode of Bizarre Foods at the store?
“To be fair, the way lutefisk was processed years ago smelled pretty bad,” says Chris Dorff, president of Olsen Foods in north Minneapolis.… Read the rest ““Lutecorn,” “lutecream,” and “lutefish””¦ The Myth of the Lye-processed Cod fish is exposed bathed in butter”
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